


The Tale of Opal I

by littlebasingse



Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra, Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: F/F, Fanon
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-04
Updated: 2020-09-04
Packaged: 2021-03-07 01:01:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,594
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26278339
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/littlebasingse/pseuds/littlebasingse
Summary: While re-reading one of Avatar Aang's journals, Jinora notices something she hasn't before - a mention of a woman named Opal, referred to by Aang as Toph's girlfriend in the years before Suyin's birth. Her curiosity piqued, Jinora goes on a fact-finding mission to find out who this woman was, and why the Beifongs don't talk about her anymore.
Relationships: Lin Beifong & Suyin Beifong & Toph Beifong, Toph Beifong/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 52





	The Tale of Opal I

The waves pulled the tide back and forth against the small Air Temple Island beach as Jinora sat, legs crossed, on the rocky cliffs above. It was one of her favorite places to be - she could see the entirety of Republic City from there, and she was close enough to the large statue of her grandfather, Avatar Aang that she felt like he was watching over her. Though Korra had had her connection to her past lives stolen from her a few years ago, Jinora thought she could sense that Aang’s spirit was still around. Even if that wasn’t true, the young airbending master took comfort in the idea that her grandfather was looking out for her.  
Jinora usually came to this spot when she needed a break from her family, to meditate or read quietly from one of the many volumes left behind by Avatar Aang. Jinora loved reading about his adventures - it made her feel closer to him and to her own history. She also loved hearing stories about people she knew; quips about her father and aunt and uncle growing up, mentions of Toph and Zuko, and even memories of people Jinora had never met, like her great uncle Sokka and his girlfriend Suki. It made her feel connected to the past and excited about the future.   
Today, she was rereading one of Aang’s journals from about forty years ago. She had picked it randomly from a pile as she stormed out of the temple, tired of Meelo’s antics, and in desperate need of some fresh air. Jinora was grateful to have such a close family, but sometimes she found that closeness was better appreciated from afar. She had gone through so much for a fourteen-year-old, between saving the world on a yearly basis, getting trapped in the spirit world, and becoming one of the youngest airbending masters in all of history she had learned to take solace in her peaceful times.   
Jinora realized halfway through the first page that she had grabbed one of the saddest volumes of Aang’s writing. It was a paragraph she’d read a hundred times before, but nonetheless she embraced it and kept on reading, with the book placed carefully between her knees as the breeze teased at her short hair. She began to read:

“I have reached the age in which the only way I see my “old friends” is if there is a wedding or a funeral. We all have our own lives now. Toph and Sokka both live in Republic City, Zuko is busy running the Fire Nation, and Katara and I have kids to raise - plus the usual Avatar duties. I can’t imagine what our younger selves would think if they saw us now.   
It’s sad to say that I’ve lost enough friends at this point that I’m less fazed by this than I should be. I know how to handle myself, but it’s hard to find out how to help my friends.   
When we traveled around as “team Avatar,” I really looked up to Sokka like he was my older brother. A goofy, boomerang-obsessed brother, but family nonetheless. He had changed a lot as he grew older and got involved in Republic City politics, but every time I saw him he retained his sense of humor. Seeing him always made me feel like a kid again.   
I don’t know what to say when I see him this time.  
He’s the one who tells jokes to cheer everyone else up, and no matter how bad his jokes are it always helps.   
What do I say when I see him? I remember how I felt when I awoke from the ice and found out the Air Nomads had been wiped out - it was like my entire world was ending. Katara and Sokka were there for me then, now it’s my turn.   
I just can’t believe Suki’s dead.”

Jinora wiped a tear from her eye. Now that she was older, she understood how Aang must have felt, helpless while his friends suffered through battles he couldn’t fight for them. It was how Jinora often felt around Korra, and even Kai sometimes. Korra had gone through so much, sometimes she thought she could even see the weight on her shoulders when she walked. It was hard to watch Korra be in pain, and not be able to heal her. Kai tried to explain his feelings to Jinora when she asked, but she knew deep down that she could never truly understand what he went through as a child. She was comforted knowing her grandfather had felt helpless sometimes, too. Jinora turned her attention back down to the page of the book in her lap.

“I just can’t believe Suki’s dead.  
It hasn’t quite hit me yet, but I think it will when I finally see Sokka. I think that seeing him in pain might break me. We leave the Southern Water Tribe in a few hours. Katara asked one of our friends to watch Bumi, Kya, and Tenzin while we’re gone. I wish we could stay longer, but this is going to be a short visit.   
They’re having the funeral on Kyoshi Island, a place I haven't been to in over a decade. To make it easier, Katara and I are heading on Appa to Republic City first to pick up Toph. Her new girlfriend Opal is watching little Lin while she’s gone, which is a big step for Toph. Though the occasion is a tragic one, I’m glad that Katara and I will finally get to meet Opal. From the contact I’ve had with Toph recently, she seems happier than usual.”

Jinora rubbed her eyes, rereading the last paragraph on the page. Opal? Who’s Opal? She thought, thinking perhaps she had misread something. Toph’s… girlfriend? She tried to figure out the timeline in her head. Judging by the date, she figured her dad had been around 5 years old at the time, making Lin three or four. So, this was at least 5 years since Suyin was born. Jinora had never heard any mention of a woman named Opal, except for her airbender friend. Suyin’s daughter... Opal…  
Jinora’s head was spinning. It was rare that she found any new information in the archives these days, and here she was discovering a whole new person she’d never heard of before. If Suyin named her daughter after the Opal who dated Toph, she must have been around after Suyin was born, which means she was around for…. Five or more years? A decade?   
Letting her curiosity take over, Jinora summoned a quick burst of wind to bring her to her feet before sprinting back to the temple to interrogate her father.

“Dad!” she exclaimed, bursting through the front door in excitement, brandishing the book above her head like a prize.   
She had clearly interrupted a quiet scene, Tenzin and Ikki were both sat on the floor with their legs crossed, meditating. At least, they had been meditating before Jinora interrupted. Her dad’s eye twitched the way it did every time Meelo would air scooter through the house. Tenzin let out an exhausted sigh.  
“Jinora, this had better be important.”  
“Yeah, dad was almost in the spirit world!” Ikki joked in her sing-songy voice.  
“It’s important, I promise. I found something in one of grandpa’s journals that I never noticed before.”  
Tenzin outstretched his palm, obviously expecting to have to explain something simple, but Jinora knew she was into something.  
She handed him the book, open to the page she had left off on, and Jinora and her sister watched eagerly as Tenzin scanned the page and scratched his beard.  
“I thought you knew all of this - Suki died, so dad left us to go to Kyoshi Island-”  
“Come on dad, I knew that part,” Jinora added impatiently.   
“But who’s Opal?”  
Her dad rolled his eyes.  
“Is this some sort of practical joke? Did Meelo put you up to this? Opal should be back tomorrow, ask her existential questions then-”  
Jinora groaned.  
“No! Not that Opal,”  
She grabbed the book and smacked her finger down on the name.  
“This Opal! Toph’s girlfriend! I’ve never heard anyone talk about her before.”  
Taken aback, Tenzin took back the book and reread the page.  
“Hm. I don’t think I’ve ever heard Lin mention her before either. Toph was a pretty private person, so who knows. I don’t think she’s even ever told Suyin who her father was.”  
He closed the book and handed it back to Jinora, to her disappointment.  
“Jinora, I don’t think there’s a conspiracy theory here like you want there to be. You’re reading too much into things. It’s getting late anyway, and Kai comes back tomorrow. You’ll want to be up bright and early to greet him and Opal - the real Opal. Alright, sweetie?”  
“But dad-” Jinora protested, sure she was onto something new and exciting.  
“If you really want to, we can go talk to Chief Beifong tomorrow. Sound good?”  
Jinora jumped for joy and wrapped her arms around her dad’s waist. “Sounds perfect, dad!”

She barely slept that night, fantasizing about who this Opal was, and who she might still be. Maybe she betrayed Toph, and that’s why they don’t talk about her anymore. Maybe she was a pirate. Maybe she knew who Suyin’s father was. Maybe- and it went on forever until the sun rose again the morning.  
Though it was wonderful to not have the fate of the world in her hands, Jinora appreciated a bit of adventure from time to time.


End file.
